This is so true!
Not being willing to talk to children can just compound the problem.

There is a flip side to this though, they aren’t ready to talk about it until they are ready. They may be home a long time before there is enough trust and saftey to even begin to open these scary doors. Pushing, or seeming to push on the doors before the child is ready will probably result in the child retreating, and some really interesting behaviors to get you to back off. It is a tricky balance. John

My daughter came home at 3.5 months and is now almost 2. I try to mention Ethiopia and her birth family often, every few days even, but sometimes it feels sort of forced. I don’t think she understands yet, she just likes the cows and goats in the pictures of Ethiopia that we have around the house. I use the pictures around the house to open up the subject of where she was born and her birth family so when we pass the pictures we talk about Ethiopia.

With your daughters, do you think they understand what you’re saying and if so at what age did that happen?

Monica